Unofficial news and tips about Google

February 4, 2012

Google Tests a New Version of the Black Bar

While Google hasn't abandoned the navigation bar launched last year, both the old and the new interface are used today. If you load google.com in Chrome's incognito mode, the old interface shows up more often than the new UI. The simplified interface made navigation more complicated, even if it looks better than the black bar.

Google even tests a slightly updated version of the old bar that uses the services from the new UI, more spacing and a different color scheme.

Here's how you can try the latest Google experiment. If you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 8+, open google.com in a new tab, load:

I just wish they would make up their mind and decide on something. Anything. I hate the drop down menu, but it is even more frustrating with it changing every time I sit down at the computer. One session is the bar; the next it's the idiotic menu. Poop or get off the pot already!

The only somewhat interesting feature of this is the floating profile pic on Google's classic homepage. Otherwise it's pretty redundant. Basically, keep the old black bar and follow the suggestion of the first comment. I can't believe Google hasn't delivered on that yet...

It still looks badly. Why you ever decided to use for dark gray? (Because Twitter uses for something similar?)

For temporary use, till you figure out the best match, please, use the same header navigation color-plate, like https://plus.google.com/photos/110977198681221304891/albums/5493122956711650833/5705523660431973234?authkey=CLabtrzBo87GiQE&banner=pwa

Google must follow Google Search page example were thy organized all search engines in left bar. They should make the same with apps but in Google+ page. Need apps or social - go Google+, need search engines - go Google.com.

i am a bit surprised that google is working on the black bar rather than improve the simple one, and i do think items in black bar (images, video, news) are somewhat duplicated the functions on the left hand side.

Just make it customisable. I'll choose whether the bar goes along the top, or down the side, I'm quite capable of choosing size and colour, and the order of the menu items, and whether to use labels or icons or both.

I liked the Black bar and hope that it will become a part of Google Chrome which I can choose to be active across all tabs and domains visited. It can replace the Bookmark bar so anyone can access all Google services easily when they are needed.

I like that Shopping was removed, I never used that link. Like a previous commentator said, I wish user could edit the bar to show only sites that we use. I use Reader, but it doesn't appear on the bar, it's in the More menu.

This is the second or third time that I've seen someone post these instructions, which claim you should open the Web Console in Firefox, but there's no place to paste the code. The proper way to do it is Shift+F4 to open the Scratch Pad (which is the equivalent of a JavaScript console), paste it in there and click Execute -> Run.

Good to give instruction on how to get the old black sandbar as well as get the combined sandbar and Google bar. But what about all of us who've gotten use to the Google bar (without also the sandbar)? Is there a way for us to get our beloved Google bar back?